The Taxi Strike Favors VTC’s

Category: investigation, use

Many people used Uber and Cabify for the first time during the taxi strike and they would do it again.

Last January we witnessed a conflict that dominated the day-to-day news stories throughout major cities in Spain. The controversy concerning the regulation of VTC’s (chauffeur-driven vehicles, in the Spanish acronym), and the role of taxis within the sector, has been the topic of public debate. In order to understand consumers’ stance, we at The Cocktail surveyed a sample representation consisting of 600 people from the metropolitan areas four large Spanish cities, chosen because of their frequent use of VTC services:

Madrid: 200 interviews.

Barcelona: 200 interviews.

Valencia: 100 interviews.

Sevilla: 100 interviews.

The results reveal that 34% of those surveyed at one point have used VTC’s, and a total of 20% of the people from the previously mentioned metropolitan areas are already VTC users. Of the 34% of users, 27% began using the services because of the conflict (which makes up 10% of the population), and 52% increased their use (which represents 18% of the total).

The taxi strike has also favored the use of VTC apps.

Felipe Romero, CEO of The Cocktail Analysis.

The strike in the taxi sector has opened the door to new users, and people who were already using them have increased their use. Moreover, the intention among current non-users to use them has also increased.

In terms of areas where taxis can improve, consumers point to fares (76%), and the experience with the driver (57%). Regarding VTC’s, consumers identify very few areas for improvement (55%).

Half of those surveyed are in favor of VTC’s in the conflict, compared to 17% who supported taxis and 33% who didn’t take sides.

Going beyond the specific case itself, it’s important to keep in mind that consumers approach any social conflict from the perspective of the impact it has on their use patterns. In the case of “VTC’s vs. the taxi sector,” people’s attitudes towards the conflict demonstrate that they take sides based on the differentiating user experience of VTC’s, compared to a negative perception surrounding taxis, which has been in the making for years.